


you're the perfect melody, the only harmony i wanna hear

by jiara_flame



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: M/M, Minor Alex/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Pansexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Past Alex/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:20:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28015341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiara_flame/pseuds/jiara_flame
Summary: Alex Mercer and Luke Patterson are ten years old when they meet for the first time. They become best friends immediately. Their bond is unbreakable.AKA how Alex and Luke fall in lovework title is from "sad song" by we the kings feat. elena coats
Relationships: Alex/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), others too but mainly alex and luke
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	1. right from the start i knew that i found a home for my heart

**Author's Note:**

> sooo... this is my very first fanfic, so pls be nice :).  
> this chapter is really, really short. but the others will be longer, i promise!!  
> i hope you enjoy this, send me your opinions and tell me if i should continue writing this story!  
> chapter title is from "a thousand years" by christina perri ft. steve kazee.

Luke Patterson was ten years old when he saw Alex Mercer for the first time. It was on a Wednesday afternoon in June. Emily and Mitch wanted to go to Barry’s, a super small restaurant at the beach. The owner, Barry, was an old friend of Mitch, so the Patterson’s often went there.  
But this time, something was different. Not because Barry’s wife, the painter Mel, drew something new again – a shining setting sun – and also not because Luke’s good friend Reggie, who lived right next to the restaurant, wasn’t here today. No, it was because someone was sitting on the opposite table by the window who he had never, and really never, seen here. Of course, Luke didn’t know every single person living in LA, but he knew the guests that came here. There was this old man with the big glasses who always comes to Barry’s at Friday evening to drink a beer. Then there was this married couple with the five little kids who screamed all the time. And, of course, Reggie and his parents.  
Today, a tall blonde boy with a huge smile on his face sat on one of the chairs, the shining sun making his hair glow. Next to him, a younger girl – maybe his sister – laughed every time the boy said something. Two adults who were possibly their parents just talked to each other quietly, they kind of ignored their children. Luke couldn’t help but watch the boy as he grabbed the glass of orange juice in front of him, trying not to laugh while drinking.  
Luke grinned when the blonde put the glass back on the table, trying to look serious as his parents gave him that look.  
Suddenly, the boys’ eyes met Luke’s. I’ve never seen such beautiful eyes, was the first thought running through Luke’s head. Wait, he probably thinks I’m a creep because I’m watching him like a stalker, was the second thing he thought. So, he looked in another direction as fast as possible. When Luke was brave enough to look up again, the blonde boy with the light brown eyes was still staring at him, but he blushed and turned away when Luke glanced at him again.  
Soon after, the boy and his family left the restaurant. 

The next day was a Thursday. Luke had already almost forgotten the boy at Barry’s. He hummed a melody as Reggie and Bobby, his best friends, ran towards him, their faces filled with excitement.  
“Luke!”, Bobby screamed, “We have some cool news for you!”  
“What’s it?”, Luke asked curiously.  
“My mom told me we’re getting a new student”, Reggie said smiling. His mom worked as a teacher in their school. She often gave information to her son (okay, more to her husband, but Reggie is always standing by the door and listening secretly). “I couldn’t find out his name, but I know that it is a boy and he moved here two days ago.”  
“That’s cool.” Luke and his friends started walking towards the school building. “I’m excited to meet him.”

Luke knew the first lesson – English – would be relaxing for him. Their teacher, Miss Maybank, was one of the nicest people he ever met so far, and she seemed to like this class. Other teachers only got annoyed by some kids. Okay, many teachers didn’t really like him because of his bad marks. But why does Luke need school anyway? He always dreamed of being a rock star. A singer. A songwriter. Instead of paying attention in class, he liked to write lyrics in his books. Even though Luke only was a ten-year-old boy, he was pretty creative – in his opinion. He liked, no he loved writing lyrics.  
Right as Luke, Reggie and Bobby all sat down, Miss Maybank entered the room with the new kid. Luke let out a gasp.  
It was the boy he saw at Barry’s yesterday. The blonde guy with those magical eyes. Luke couldn’t stop staring at that boy. It may sound stupid, but the seemed kinda different than the other guys Luke knew.  
“This is Alexander Mercer. He moved here a couple of days ago with his parents and his sister Alison. He’ll be in your class, so please be nice to him.”  
Luke cleared his throat before he started speaking. “Miss Maybank? Alexander can sit here.” He pointed at the empty seat next to him. Reggie and Bobby looked at him with confused faces. Meanwhile, Alexander seemed to remember the “meeting” in Barry’s, because his eyes widened and he blushed again. Just a little, but still.  
“That’s nice, thank you, Luke.”  
The new kid sat down next to Luke and smiled at him. While Miss Maybank started with her lesson, Luke right began to talk to the blonde. “I’m Luke, and these are my friends Bobby and Reggie. I’ve seen you at Barry’s yesterday. Do you like music?”  
Alexander seemed to be a little nervous, but he answered. “You can call me Alex. And … yes, I love music. I’m playing the drums.”  
“REALLY?”, Luke almost screamed. “That’s AWESOME! I’m playing the guitar!”  
Instead of paying attention, the two boys talked about music all the time.

They became friends really fast. After two weeks, nothing could tear Luke, Alex, Reggie and Bobby apart. The fact that all of them shared their big love for music made it even better.  
But there was something, well, special between Alex and Luke. They bonded really, really fast. Sometimes it was like they were reading each other’s minds.  
Emily and Mitch loved Alex. When Luke invited him over for the first time, they immediately liked the blonde, shy boy.  
One day Luke came home from school late. Emily had received a call earlier. Luke got into a fight with a classmate and had to go to detention.  
“The headmaster sounded very angry.” Emily gave her son that look. “And I am angry. Why the hell did you beat that boy?”  
“Because that asshole – “  
“Language, Luke!”  
“Because he said shit about Alex, mom! I hate it when people hurt Alex. Whenever he’s getting hurt, I’m getting hurt too.”  
Emily melted inside. She loved the way her son protected his best friend. She always felt like the connection between these two boys was deeper than Luke’s connection with Reggie and Bobby. But still, getting into a physical fight for that wasn’t right at all.  
“You’re gonna apologize to that boy, okay?”  
“Yeah, Mom.”  
“Invite Alex over for dinner. I’ll make spaghetti.”


	2. baby, i'm dancing in the dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter two for you guys, i hope you like it. the chapter title is from "perfect" by ed sheeran.

The four boys did everything together. They went to school together; whenever one of them had to go to detention, the others waited for him two hours until he came out again; they celebrated their birthdays in Bobby’s garage and made music together. When they were twelve years old, Luke had the idea of founding a band.   
“A band?”, Bobby repeated. “Dude, we’re only twelve fucking years old.”  
“And?”, Luke responded. “We got time. All we need is a place to practice and cool songs.”  
This was the beginning of Sunset Curve. Well, it was complicated at the beginning. First of all, nobody was smart enough to bring up a cool name. After everybody FINALLY agreed with their band name being Sunset Curve, they decided to practice in Bobby’s garage. At first, they only covered songs from famous artists, because Luke didn’t want to show them his personal lyrics. But after playing songs from The Beatles for over five months, Luke came into the garage smiling. “I have something for us guys”, he announced and showed them the piece of paper he brought.   
The song was called Now or Never, and the whole band fell in love with it immediately. They practiced even more now, with more enthusiasm and energy.  
Alex loved being with his friends. Whenever he entered the garage, he felt safe. At home it’s always awkward, he thought. His parents were against everything. And when he said everything, he meant everything. No sex before marriage. Okay, this wasn’t too bad. Alex wasn’t interested in having sex with anyone anytime soon. But there was something else. He heard his parents talk about a man they knew from a festival. This man was in love with another man, and Alex’ dad had spotted him outside with his boyfriend.   
Alex didn’t know what was going on, but he felt something sink in his stomach. Why didn’t his parents accept this kind of love? Love is love. If these two men felt that way about each other, why would somebody not accept them? When a man and a woman kiss, nobody ever says something bad about that. But Alex just stayed quiet and didn’t say anything.

After a while, something … well, happened. It was short after Alex’ thirteenth birthday, and his parents allowed him to stay over at Luke’s house for the weekend. Alex loved being at Luke’s house. He felt welcomed and loved here. Emily made the best cocoa ever and Mitch was really interested in old cassettes, just like Alex. And Luke was his best friend. He loved Reggie and Bobby, but it was always different whenever Luke and him spent time together, without the others. They listened to music, ran through the park, mimicked their teachers and went swimming in the sea. Sometimes they just talked about their lives, their dreams and expectations in the future.   
Alex often was being mobbed by other kids because of his anxiety. Of course, Luke noticed this already when they only knew each other for barely a week. He told Alex not to be afraid or embarrassed, because these stupid assholes didn’t even know him. “And plus, you’ll always have me”, Luke added grinning. “I’ll be your protector, whenever you need it.”  
On this day that would change a lot in Alex’ life, everything seemed normal at first. He went to school with his friends as always and worked on a new song with Luke during the breaks. When he arrived at Luke’s house at three, everything was normal. They went to the garage rehearsed their new song “Late Last Night” and Bobby’s mom brought them cookies.  
“We’re not fucking seven years old”, Bobby moaned, but he still ate the cookies. He was in a bad mood since his very first girlfriend Vanessa McLaren broke up with him a couple of days ago. The rest of the band avoided talking about girls in particular after they found out about their “dramatic” break up.   
Luke rolled his eyes. “Stop being a fucking mood killer, idiot. I mean, how long did you date that chick? She’s not worth it, man.”  
Bobby just gave him a gloomy look. After a while, the four friends started talking about a new band, and Bobby seemed to have forgotten about Vanessa for now.   
Reggie told Alex and the others about the excellent bassist in this phenomenal band. After a couple of minutes, Alex felt Luke’s knee against his. He froze at the feeling of this little touch and carefully looked at Luke. He didn’t notice, so this knee touch was probably only just an accident. Alex exhaled, only now realizing he’s been holding his breath all the time. Why the hell did he just react like that? Luke was his best friend. They’ve touched before all the time, why would it be different now?   
Alex only shook his head. Maybe it was just because he kind of drifted away during Reggie’s speech about that bassist. Yeah, of course. This was the only valid reason.

In the evening, Alex went to Barry’s with the Pattersons. The place where he saw Luke for the first time. He smiled when he remembered Luke staring at him and then turning away quickly when Alex met his eyes.   
“Mitch, my friend, how are you?” Barry pulled Mitch into what Alex called a man hug and also greeted Emily. The boys got a handclap. When they all sat down, Barry’s wife Mel brought wine for the adults and coke for the kids.   
“What do you want to eat?”, Luke asked. “I’ll take a big Chickenburger.”   
“Ahem”, Alex cleared his throat, “a Cheeseburger, please.”  
Luke looks at him. He seems worried. “You okay?”  
Alex tries not to break eye contact with Luke, because damn, his eyes are like the sun and the moon and the stars altogether … Alex blushes and looks away. Why did he just think something stupid like that? What was wrong with him today?

Later, Barry put some records on and the melody of “Never Thought That I Could Love” by Dan Hill began. Luke automatically rolled his eyes. He hated love songs; Alex knew that. It was because he didn’t know what he should feel then. The songs he wrote, like Now or Never, aren’t about love. Luke always wrote down what he felt, and, as he told Alex, Luke’s never been in love with somebody. He didn’t even kiss someone like Bobby or Reggie, who told them he’d kissed Vivian Swan the other day. 

Can I touch you?  
I can’t believe that you are real.  
How did I ever find you?

And for reasons Alex really couldn’t explain, he laid his eyes on Luke as these lyrics came out of Barry’s huge boxes. And Luke … Luke gazed back. Both of them smiled as Emily and Mitch got up and started to dance together, just like other guests already did. Even some kids and teens started to dance now. 

You are the dream that saved my life.   
You are the reason I survived.   
Baby …

Suddenly, Alex felt Luke’s hand on his. “Hey, bro, I asked you something.”  
Alex turned to him, a little shocked. He had drifted away, like earlier this afternoon, but this time, he thought about …   
Stop it, Alex told himself. That’s just a song. A song from Dan Hill. It meant nothing. It’s a love song. I’ve never been in love and I will never be.   
“Alex Mercer! Are you okay?” Luke’s hand didn’t lie on his anymore, and suddenly Alex’ hand, no, his whole body, felt insanely cold. “I … I’m sorry. Can we maybe go outside for a while?”  
“Of course.” Luke still gave him that worried look, but he got up, gave his parents a quick sign and helped Alex, who just felt super tired, to get out of the restaurant.   
“Dude, you looked like you were about to throw up”, Luke said as the boys sat down on the beach. The sand was cold. And the cold feeling in Alex’ body didn’t go away. He still could hear Never Thought That I Could Love. Slowly Alex breathed in and out. Then he felt Luke’s hand on his back and finally the uncomfortable feeling faded. He relaxed under Luke’s touch and closed his eyes.   
He didn’t know how much time had passed. The only thing he thought of were the waves that touched his feet from time to time. Even though the water was cold, Alex’ whole body felt warm again.   
“Do you … do you wanna dance?”  
Alex turned to Luke. Did he just imagine that or did Luke really ask …?  
“What?”, Alex stupidly responded.  
But Luke’s soft smile stayed the same. “Do you want to dance? With me?”  
“Wait, how do you mean that?” Alex still was confused. His brain just didn’t work right now.   
Instead of answering him, Luke got up and reached out his hand. Carefully Alex took it. He wanted to let go again, but Luke just pulled him closer, and slowly started moving with the rhythm of the song. So, Alex did the same. He wasn’t good at dancing, not at all, and feeling Luke’s left hand in his left hand and Luke’s right hand on his waist didn’t make it better.   
“I’m not the best dancer”, Luke grinned, “sorry for that.”   
“No, man, you’re good”, Alex couldn’t help but smile, “I’m the one who’s probably messing this dance up.”

… you are too beautiful for the human eye.  
You are the dream that never dies.  
You are the fire that burns inside.  
Baby ...

“Stop lying”, Luke laughed. “You’re dancing perfect.”  
Alex’ mind was full of questions. Why wanted his best friend to dance with him like … yeah, like they were a couple?   
STOP IT, he reminded his own brain again. Probably Luke only just wanted to do this with him because he needed practice for the real thing, with girls. Best friends often practice things with each other, to be prepared when they get a boyfriend or girlfriend. Or Luke knew Alex needed to chill right now, so dancing seemed the right choice to relax.   
Or, maybe he still was sitting in the sand and that whole thing was just an imagination?  
Just when Alex was about to lose his mind again, he met Luke’s eyes. And suddenly, it felt like everything was going to be okay.   
Luke’s amazing, damn eyes. Alex could get lost in them.

I never thought that I could love someone as much as I love you.

And then it happens. The moment that changed it all. Something flattered in Alex’ stomach. He just couldn’t describe it better. Looking into Luke’s eyes and slowly dancing with him felt right. It felt righter than anything else Alex had ever done in his entire life. It was like fireworks were exploding inside of him, like all the missing pieces of his heart finally collided. Like there was a part of him he always tried to hide so hard because he thought it was ugly, but now this part shined through everything and was more beautiful than anything. Alex felt more alive than ever as he put his other hand on Luke’s back.

I know it's crazy but it's true.  
I never thought that I could need someone as much as I need you.

Nothing really mattered to Alex right now, except being with Luke. This was the moment. This was the second Alex knew it. Girls? Screw girls! This was the day Alex was sure that he would never want to date a girl. Why should he when boys were right there?

You are the sunshine in the sky.  
You are the sparkle in my eyes.

Correction: Why should he date girls when Luke was right there?

He liked Luke. He liked Luke the way that he was supposed to like girls. He didn’t like girls, he liked Luke. He liked a boy.


	3. i can feel your heart inside of mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am super duper crazy stupid sorry for updating later than I promised! But I've been busy with school and family and stuff, so I didn't really have the time to write.   
> Thanks for the support I've been getting from you guys recently! I love you all so much! I hope you like this chapter.
> 
> Chapter title is from "If I could fly" by One Direction

After Luke and his family got home, him and Alex went into his room. It was already half past twelve and he could see that Alex was very tired. Luke was too, to be honest. He thought of the mattress which probably still was in the guest room. Luke was too lazy to carry it in here. Plus, his bed was large enough for both of them. They often slept in it together. Sometimes, even Reggie and Bobby tried to fit into his bed, and one time the four of them were able to spend three hours in it before Reggie fell on the floor. Bobby helped him to bring the mattress in Luke’s room at almost four o’clock in the morning, while Alex and Luke just slept without noticing anything.   
Alex was in the bathroom right now, taking a shower. He had been quiet when they drove home, which wasn’t unusual, but Luke felt like something clearly changed.   
Dancing wasn’t a good idea, Luke thought. Damn. Why the fuck did he even want to dance with him? What was he thinking that moment? Luke would never admit it, but he actually liked the song that was playing while they were dancing. Even though it was a slow one and he was more the rock-type. When Alex looked like he was about to faint and they were sitting at the beach, Luke didn’t want anything more than dancing with him. The unbelievable look Alex gave him then made Luke feel dumb and childish. Somehow, he brought up the courage to ask his best friend for a dance again. And when they started to move together, everything felt perfectly right. It was … incredible. Like he was leaving all his past in silhouettes behind. With Alex, he felt like … like … Luke couldn’t describe it better and it probably sounded corny, but he felt like a beautiful mess.   
Of course, Luke thought, he’s my best friend. Obviously, I can relax with him. It’s not a big deal.   
Meanwhile, Alex came back from the bathroom again. “Where’s the mattress? Still in the guest room?” He looked around, searching for the mattress.  
Luke turned to him grinning. “No, man. I’m too tired to get that thing in there. We’ll just sleep in my bed together.”  
Alex’ smile froze. “What?”  
Luke felt like a dumb kid again, like earlier on the beach. God, what must Alex think of him now? “Oh, I’m sorry, if you don’t want to …”, he cleared his throat, “I can get the mattress, that’s no problem. It’s just …”  
“…you’re too tired to get it in there?”, Alex asked.  
“No, I mean, yes I am, but we haven’t done this in a while. Spending the night together in one bed and talking until the sunrise, you know?”  
Alex probably felt weird about the two of them doing things like this, now that they’re thirteen years old and not eleven anymore. Why didn’t Luke think this far? Bobby didn’t want to do things like this since his twelfth birthday, so it wasn’t totally strange that Alex felt the same way about that.   
“You know what? Forget it”, Luke shook his head and let out a laugh, which was meant to sound humorous, but in Luke’s ears it didn’t.  
Alex swallowed hard. He seemed … nervous. “No, dude, it’s alright.”  
“So …”, Luke slowly got his confidence back and jumped on his bed. “Come here.”  
Alex still seemed hesitant, but he walked towards Luke and sat down beside him on the edge of the bed.   
“When did you stop being in love with my bed?”, Luke joked. “Lay down, bro, and then we can talk about whatever or whoever you want.”  
Alex smiled for like a millisecond before finally lying down next to Luke. The boys were just lying there, both of their heads on the huge pillow, without a blanket, only just staring at the ceiling.   
“I don’t want to force you to say something, Alex”, Luke whispered after a while and turned his head to his best friend, “but … do you wanna talk about what happened at the beach?”  
Even though Luke’s body didn’t even touch Alex, he could basically feel the blonde freeze again. Was he uncomfortable? And if yes, why? Luke’s gazed at him, he waited for Alex to face him too, but he didn’t. Luke watched him as he swallowed again before he spoke. “What do you mean?”  
“This … I don’t know … when we were sitting inside and you almost throwed up?” A big grin came across Luke’s face, but it immediately faded when he saw that Alex’ eyes were watery.   
“Hey”, Luke gently said and propped himself up on his elbow. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to … Fuck, man, I don’t know.”  
Alex sighed. “There’s nothing you have to be sorry for. I’m sorry. You don’t have to feel like you need to worry about me.”  
“But I do.” This time, Luke meant it more than serious. He cared about his friends, especially Alex, a lot. Two months ago, he comforted Reggie after his parents got into a fight again, and he helped Bobby to deal with his breakup drama last week.   
And Alex … Alex was a shy kid. His parents were weird, and Luke didn’t visit him as much as the others. He preferred Alex coming to his house.   
The first tear left Alex’ right eye. “I don’t know … I … I just felt … dizzy and everything was so loud but insanely silent at the same time.” He wanted to continue talking, but he couldn’t. Alex was sobbing quietly. Luke hated it when people got emotional. He never knew what he was supposed to do then. Since he saw Evelyn Grayson crying at her father’s funeral in second grade, Luke didn’t know how to make anybody feel better. He usually would touch people, like hug them, but he didn’t know if others liked being hugged by him.   
Right now, the only thing that came into his mind, was wiping Alex’ tears away with his hands. “Shhh”, he mumbled softly. “It’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay. I’m here.”  
When Alex still couldn’t stop crying, Luke pulled him into a comforting hug. 

There they lay for over half an hour without saying anything. Luke didn’t ask Alex about his blackout at Barry’s, and Alex didn’t start explaining either. And it was okay. For both of them. Not only staying quiet, but also lying in each other’s arms until Alex finally fell asleep.   
Alex’ steady breaths made Luke’s heart beat normal again. He didn’t let go of his friend, because staying in this exact position was the only right thing he could do now.   
Slowly, Luke fell asleep too.

Four months passed by since then. Neither of the boys brought up Alex’ blackout, the dance at the beach or the cuddling in Luke’s bed. And they were fine with it. Totally fine.   
Luke’s uncle Marc and his family (including Luke’s annoying six-year-old twin-cousins Maddox and John) planned to go to Italy for a little less than three weeks. Translation for: Luke had to go to their house every day, cut the lawn and water the flowers in the garden.   
“Why can’t you guys just do it?”, Luke asked his parents for the millionth time. “I’m busy with the band, and with school. You practically got nothing to do.”  
Emily just continued doing the dishes. “Luke, your dad is working hard every day, and I already have to do the whole household. It’s only for three weeks. All you have to do is going to their house after school and do the things they told you to do.”

On a Thursday afternoon, Luke and his friends sat in the garage after rehearsing for over two hours straight. Tomorrow, they were going to have their first real gig in an old club called “The Candy Club”. Bobby’s mom was responsible for that. Her friends’ cousin was running the club and when Bobby’s mother found out that she was currently looking for a band to play here, she right booked Sunset Curve a gig.   
“Let’s celebrate!” Bobby gave everyone a glass of orange juice with a shot of sparkling wine.   
“Your mom’s a heroine!”, Reggie shouted and sat down on the couch next to Alex. “I can’t believe we’re finally gonna play in a club.”  
“Me neither.” Alex took a sip of the orange juice-sparkling wine. It tasted awful, but he didn’t mind.   
“I’ll have to be home at half past ten. My parents were pretty angry when I got up late for church last Sunday.”  
Luke groaned. “Your parents are so damn boring! But I’ll go with you. I forgot to go to my uncle’s house today. Emily would be angry if I let the poor sunflowers down.”  
Alex chuckled and got up. “Okay, man. Your uncle’s house is on my way. Let’s save the sunflowers.”

It’s been a while since Alex and Luke had been able to spend time together, without Reggie and Bobby. They’ve been busy with rehearsing and stuff, so the last time the two boys had some alone time was when Alex was helping Luke with studying almost two weeks ago.  
Right now, when they walked down the Silver Street, the sun slowly started to disappear behind the beautiful ocean and it got darker. Luke thought of everything he had to do tomorrow. School, watering the flowers at uncle Marc’s house, eating lunch with his parents, rehearsing one last time … and then – finally – Sunset Curve would have their very first gig. Luke couldn’t describe his happiness and excitement. Even though the band members were only thirteen years old, Luke felt like they would be successful someday. He carefully glanced at Alex as they arrived at Marc’s house. The setting sun made it look like he was glowing. Luke didn’t take his eyes off Alex’ face. He’s beautiful, Luke thought and immediately tried to shake it off. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t allowed to think of Alex like that or to look at him like that.   
I don’t look at him like that. I don’t think of him like that. Luke held onto that thought as he unlocked the door and the boys stepped into the big house.   
“Wow.” Alex whistled. “What a fancy place. Is your uncle rich or something?”  
Luke grinned. “His wife – my aunt Caroline – comes from a noble house. And, what should I say? I don’t like her that much.”  
Alex followed Luke into the kitchen and watched him as he watered the plants standing on the window sill. Luke pretended that he didn’t notice the look, but he immediately blushed a little.   
Blushing? Me? Usually, Alex is the one who blushes all the time. Luke shook his head. Stop thinking about that. It’s silly.  
Grinning, Luke put away the watering can and turned to Alex again. “Come on, I wanna show you something.”   
Alex seemed kinda confused as he followed Luke up to the third floor. “What the hell are we doing on the attic?”  
Luke opened the dormer window and offered Alex his hand. “I thought we could chill a little on the rooftop.”   
Alex’ eyes widened. “Are you crazy? I won’t climb up there. Forget it, Patterson.” He wanted to turn around and go down again, but then he looked at Luke, who still reached out his hand. As their eyes met, a warm smile came across Luke’s face. “Trust me”, he whispered.   
Alex exhaled and took his best friends’ hand. Alex didn’t even know what was happening, but suddenly he was on the rooftop. “Holy shit.”  
Luke sat down next to him. “Cool, huh?”   
The blonde slowly started to relax as he watched the sun, which started to set behind the hills of Hollywood. “It’s … wow”, was all he was able to say.  
Luke let out a giggle. “I knew you’d like it.”  
“You know me too well”, Alex joked, but as he let out these words, he realized the meaning of it. Nobody knew him the way Luke did. Yes, he was friends with Reggie and Bobby, but with Luke … whenever he was with him, he felt safe. He felt like coming come. Alex started to think of that night at the beach four months ago, when they were dancing to that love song. It was the first time that Alex saw Luke differently. In a way that wasn’t the same as before.   
“I came here yesterday.” Luke ripped Alex out of his thoughts. “It’s a good place to think.”  
“What do you have to think about?” Luke hit Alex with his elbow after that question. “Very funny, man. I think about … music, about the band and my family … I even think about little things, you know?”  
“For example?”  
“For example …” Luke stopped talking. Alex waited for him to continue, but he didn’t.   
The two boys stayed quiet until the sun completely disappeared behind the hills.  
“Luke?”, Alex whispered as they gazed up to the dark sky.  
“Yeah, Alex?”, Luke responded quietly.  
The boy hesitated before he finally let the words out. “I’m thankful for you.”  
The following silence wasn’t awkward. Not at all. It felt … comfortable. But still, Alex was afraid. Did he say something wrong? What if …?  
Again, Luke stopped him from thinking about these things as he slowly leaned against Alex. “I’m thankful for you too, Alex.”  
For a couple of seconds, Alex was unable to do anything, but then he carefully put his left arm around Luke’s waist. And damn, it felt amazing. It felt so right, but so wrong at the same time. 

They stayed like that for a time that felt like eternity, until Alex (sadly) remembered that he had to go home.   
Luke went with him and dropped him off at his house. Before Alex went inside, Luke touched his shoulder. “I lied to you”, he said.   
Alex froze. What? Why would Luke lie to him? What happened? Did he do something wrong or …?  
“I’m sorry”, Luke whispered. “I already watered my uncles’ plants today. I just …” he hesitated, “I just wanted to spend some time with you. Only with you.”  
Alex couldn’t help but smile. He wanted to say something, but then his sister Alison opened the door and right started talking to her brother.   
Suddenly, Luke was aware that his hand still rested on Alex’ shoulder, and he quickly put it away. “Bye, man. See you tomorrow.”  
When Luke went home, he felt insanely light. 

The “Candy Club” didn’t look how the boys imagined. Everything was pink and purple, and the club owner, Miss Jamison, was an old lady who probably didn’t understand a thing about rock music.  
When the boys got ready, Bobby really freaked out. “I can’t believe my mother got us into this shit! I thought she cared about our band, I thought she understands us!”  
Luke was way more chill, even though he was probably as upset as Bobby and the rest of the band. “Come on, bro. Yes, it is a corny club, and yes, the owner certainly won’t like our music, but it’s still a big chance for us. I’m pretty sure there are some true rock fans out their who’ll love what we do.”  
Bobby still didn’t seem convinced, but when he went to the counter half an hour before their big moment and met a girl with a “ROCK’N’ROLL” tattoo, everything was fine for him.  
“Kylie won’t like that”, Reggie giggled as he watched his mate flirting with the girl.  
“Wasn’t her name Tessa?”, Alex asked.  
Luke shook his head. “No, her name’s Callie. Tessa was his ex-girlfriend.”  
“I’m confused”, Reggie mumbled.   
Luke grinned. Somehow, Bobby managed to get a new girlfriend really quick after he broke up with the last one.  
Alex cleared his throat. “I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be back in five minutes.”  
“Okay”, Luke and Reggie simply responded and continued staring at Bobby and his newest flirt.

“We gotta be on stage in fifteen minutes, where’s Alex?”, Bobby asked.  
“He said he’s going to the bathroom, but that’s been a while ago now”, Reggie remembered.   
Luke frowned. “I’ll look after him.”  
After he finally found the men’s bathroom, Luke knocked on every door and called out Alex’ name – without any success. He slowly began to worry about his best friend. Where did he go?  
“Alex!”, he screamed as he ran outside. It was a cold evening, and some drunk teenagers laughed at Luke for shouting, but he didn’t care at all. The only important thing right now was finding Alex, so that Sunset Curve could rock it on the stage.   
Just when he was about to rush into the club again, he saw a tall silhouette standing nearby the street. Alex.  
Slowly, Luke stepped closer until he stood beside his friend. He let Alex have his personal space; he knew the blonde could get uncomfortable when people got to close to him. A whole car could fit between them.   
“Alex, we have to go on stage in a couple of minutes. Are you okay?”  
Alex didn’t answer for a while, but he turned his head to Luke. “I don’t know”, he mumbled.   
“You don’t know? You don’t know what? You don’t know if you’re okay? Are you nervous?” Luke wanted to do something. He would want to … touch him. Like, reach out his hand for Alex or pull him into a hug … maybe he could just brush his hand against Alex’ cheek … anything that gives him skin-to-skin-contact, because that’s what makes Luke feel more comfortable. Luke’s always been a physical-touch-person.  
But he keeps his hands in his pockets, and just keeps looking at Alex, and Alex gazes back.   
“Listen, I really don’t wanna stress you”, Luke said, “but we really have to go inside now. I know you’re nervous, but …”  
“I’m sorry”, Alex interrupted him. “But staring at the stars just helps me calm down, you know? I was really nervous before. Sorry for acting weird.”  
Luke just smirked. “It’s alright, bro. Come on now, let’s rock.”  
Right before the boys entered the club again, Alex pulled Luke into a hug. Both of them didn’t think about what this little, but still intimate hug could possibly mean. It didn’t matter. Luke felt Alex’ heartbeat. It was like their hearts were beating together as one.


	4. i need to know your lips, nothing ever mattered to me more than this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo this chapter is a little short, but i hope you like it!   
> chapter title is from "somebody to you" by the vamps ft. demi lovato
> 
> also did you know that charlie and owen got married in vegas? i really wasn't surprised at all when i found out about it, because it's so them lol.

A couple of months passed by. After their gig at the Candy Club, Sunset Curve had been receiving calls from different rock fans; everyone asking when they were going to play again.   
On Luke’s fourteenth birthday the four friends spent their afternoon in the garage, celebrating with cupcakes and a huge cake. Bobby’s mom even gave them some money to order pizza in the evening, and Reggie’s parents brought him a box filled with sweets. Luke didn’t know if he should be thankful or a little embarrassed by their little gestures, because it made him feel like a little kid even though he’d already turned fourteen. But he decided to enjoy it – eating chocolate the whole afternoon was just too comfortable.   
“Have you seen the way Maya looked at me during the gig yesterday?”  
Alex sighed. Bobby’s relationship with Yvonne Philips lasted for barely a month, but since their breakup Bobby’s biggest goal was kissing Maya Miller, the new girl in class.   
“She definitely likes me. I mean, did you see …”  
“Okay, Bobby, we believe you”, Alex sighed again. “But we’re not here to talk about your newest crush.” He raised his glass of cola and toasted towards Luke, who gave him a thankful look. Alex smirked and got up. “Today we came together to celebrate the fourteenth birthday of our best friend, who’s also the most annoying person I’ve ever met.” Luke rolled his eyes, but he smiled while listening to Alex. “Happy birthday, Luke.”  
The others raised their glasses as well. “Happy birthday!”  
When Alex gazed at Luke after a couple of seconds, he noticed he was already staring at him. Both of their smiles got bigger when they looked into each other’s eyes. Neither of them wanted to break the eye-contact, but they quickly turned away from each other when Reggie and Bobby started to argue about some older girl. 

Later, after the boys had their pizza, they went down to the beach. When they arrived, there was already a big party going on.  
“What are we doing here?”, Luke asked.  
Bobby threw an arm around his shoulder. “Alex found out that a party was planned here, and we thought we could carry you here and, you know, celebrate a little?”  
Luke went over to Alex, who stood a few meters away from him, and wrapped his hands around his neck. Immediately, the blonde blushed. “Thanks for bringing me here, man. I love this.”  
Luke seemed to want to hold onto their eye contact, but Alex was … afraid. He was afraid to lose himself in Luke’s amazing hazel eyes, even though it felt so right at this moment. ‘But it isn’t right’, an evil voice whispered in his head, and so Alex pulled away. Reggie was staring at them in confusion, while Bobby just looked around the beach and searched for some hot girls he could flirt with.   
Half an hour later, the boys felt more comfortable than ever in their entire lives. The girls adored Bobby, and even Reggie flirted with some of these chicks.   
Luke and Alex were like insanely close twins – they stuck together the whole evening and talked about music with a few guys who seemed to be interested in rock’n’roll.   
But then Maya Miller showed up, and instead of going to Bobby, she went to Luke and flirted with him.   
Usually, Bobby and Alex never really shared the same opinions. But right now, it was different. Even though there were so many girls around Bobby which adored him, he gave Luke a jealous gaze as him and Maya laughed together.   
And Alex … he tried to ignore the awful feeling in his stomach. The feeling of being left behind and ignored. The feeling of being lonely and just not good enough. Alex wasn’t a stupid boy. He knew he saw in Luke something else than a best friend. He tried to ignore it at first, but looking into Luke’s warm hazel eyes, hugging him, talking with him about everything and having a great time with him just made it harder. Alex still remembered the talk his parents had about these two men who were in love with each other. They talked about it like it was disgusting, while Alex couldn’t understand why his mom and dad didn’t accept them the way they were. In school, the students whispered about this kind of love like it was a serious illness. “Mr Harrison is gay”, “Did you know the aunt of Diana Paxton is a lesbian?”, “Jack’s brother is bisexual” and so on.   
When Alex heard about all these different sexualities, he started to think. He realized that he looked at boys the way his friends looked at girls. He also realized that he looked at one certain boy this way. Luke Patterson.  
Last year, after Luke and him danced on the beach and went home, he just couldn’t take it anymore. Crying in front of the boy he developed feelings for because of these feelings made Alex certainly look like a fool, but Luke just wrapped his arms around him and didn’t let him go until the sunrise.   
Right now, while he watched his crush being happy with Maya, he exchanged an annoyed look with Bobby, who raised his cup in Alex’ direction, which probably meant “Welcome in the outsider gang”. Alex watched Maya and Luke as they laughed because of a joke or something. And he had enough. He had enough of wasting his time on a stupid crush which would surely go away anytime soon. He should be happy for Luke for finding a girl he was happy with. It was a stupid thought that he maybe felt the same way Alex did just because he always hugged Alex tight when they said goodbye to each other, or took his hand every time he didn’t feel okay, or touched him longer than necessary in any situation, or …   
Alex was ripped out of his thoughts as he watched Maya grabbing for Luke’s hands, pulled him up and started dancing. Alex hated it. He hated Maya’s dark curls, her beautiful tanned skin and her perfect smile. He hated the fact that Luke immediately danced with her the same way he danced with Alex a year ago.   
Finally, Alex got up. He had enough of staring at these two lovebirds in anger. Why wasting his afternoon when he just could have fun on his own? He didn’t need Luke or Bobby or Reggie, and this Maya girl wasn’t going to ruin his day.   
Alex walked a little down the beach. He felt the waves splashing against his feet, the water was cold, but not uncomfortable.   
After a couple of minutes, he decided to sit down on a rock nearby Barry’s bar, which the owner sold a while ago. Alex smiled as he remembered the first time he saw Luke in there. ‘Four years ago’, he thought and shook his head. It still felt like yesterday.  
Alex just sat there and was too invested in his own thoughts, so he didn’t notice Luke walking to him until he sat down beside him. “Is this seat taken?”, he playfully asked. Somehow, Alex managed to smile. He was aware that Luke was looking at him with this worried face, but he tried to act like he didn’t notice.  
“You alright, man?” Luke carefully put his hand on Alex’.   
Finally, Alex turned his head to Luke, and they stayed like that for a few minutes that felt like hours. Alex moved his hand without breaking eye contact, so they were really holding hands now.   
“I’m sorry, I just needed some space”, Alex mumbled. Luke gave him an understanding smile.   
“I … I’m also super sorry for just going away”, Alex continued speaking, “it’s your birthday, and I don’t have the right to just …”  
Luke shook his head and cut his friend off. “Alex, it’s fine. Everything’s fine. I understand you, okay? Totally. I guess I also need some alone time.”  
“Oh”, Alex wanted to get up, “I’ll go, then.”  
But Luke didn’t let go of his hand. “No, Alex, stay.” Alex’ doubts only got completely away when Luke said “Please” with this damn hazel eyes.  
For a while, the two boys only sat there hand in hand, staring at the water. It slowly got darker, and after a couple of minutes, it started to rain.   
“Fuck”, Luke sighed. “My parents will kill me when they find out I spent the whole day with you and the guys. They told me to be home earlier so we can celebrate with the family.”  
The pair got up, still holding hands. Luke gave Alex a cocky grin. “Whoever is at the park first, gets three pieces of cake!” He started to run, and Alex let out a laugh and followed him. “Hey!”  
At first, Luke was the one leading until Alex was finally catching up to him. Alex had the urge of touching him, so he took Luke’s hand and the pair ran and ran. Some people, who still were outside and tried to get home quickly because of the rain, looked at them like they had three heads. But right now, neither Alex or Luke cared about those looks. They just continued running and didn’t stop at the park, they ran and ran until they arrived Luke’s street.   
Even though the raindrops felt cold, Alex’ whole body was filled with happiness as his eyes met Luke’s.   
Alex froze.   
Luke’s brunette hair and his face were wet from the rain, but still he looked so … beautiful. Alex knew he should call men handsome, but Luke just was beautiful.   
They looked into each other’s eyes deeply, and instead of turning away, they held onto this intense look.   
Both of them were breathing heavily, and Alex really forgot how to breathe when Luke’s face came closer. He started to panic. What the hell was he supposed to do?  
His eyes fell on Luke’s lips and back to Luke’s eyes again. He realized that Luke was staring at his lips and that he slowly came closer.   
Alex could feel Luke’s breath, and before he was able to do anything that could be helpful in an intimate moment like this, Luke connected their lips.  
Alex was a smart boy, but he only realized what was happening a couple of seconds later.  
Luke Patterson was kissing HIM.   
Alex never really thought about his first kiss, and he absolutely never considered that it would happen with the boy he had feelings for.   
Even though he wasn’t sure if what he was doing was right, he kissed Luke back. And damn, it felt so fucking right. Luke tasted like the warm summer sun although they stood in the pouring rain right now. He tasted like … like coming home.  
Suddenly, it was over. Luke pulled back and so did Alex. He was scared of meeting Luke’s eyes, but when he brought up the courage to look up, Luke smiled. He really, truly smiled. Before Alex had the chance to smile back or do anything else, Luke whispered a “See you tomorrow”, and went down the road to his house.

Alex had no idea how long he was just standing in the rain in confusion. He didn’t even notice that he turned around and went home.   
He couldn’t think clearly until he went to bed and stared at the ceiling.   
Did this just really happen?  
Yes, it really happened.  
Was this going to change anything between him and Luke?  
Alex didn’t know. He was afraid, but when he remembered Luke kissing him, he calmed down.   
Everything was going to be alright. Hopefully.


End file.
